Dublin-based IGS to develop solar farm on former landfill near Cleveland

IGS Energy is going to develop its first solar farm in Ohio on a former landfill.

The Dublin-based company announced Wednesday that IGS Solar will build a 4-megawatt solar array on 17 acres of land in Brooklyn in Cuyahoga County. The 35,520-panel array will power about 5 percent of 16 county government buildings.

The company is working with Enerlogics and McDonald Hopkins as developers. IGS will own and operate the array for Cuyahoga County. The work will create about 100 construction jobs.

“The solar landfill installation, which is the largest in the state of Ohio, will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and develop our clean energy economy into the future,” Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish said in a statement. “It is crucial that local governments take action to help solve our global issue – climate change.”

Cuyahoga County will buy the power through a long-term power purchase agreement with Cleveland Public Power. IGS estimates the county will save as much as $3 million on utility costs over 25 years.

A 20-year lease was signed for the land with the county getting the option to purchase the land before the end of the first 10-year term. This land lease will also help Brooklyn offset $400,000 in maintenance costs over 20 years.

“This solar array will enable the county to continue to contain long-term energy costs for our facilities, while also supporting renewable energy development,” Mike Foley, director of the Department of Sustainability for Cuyahoga County, said in the statement.

“With the current challenges around our state’s renewable energy initiatives, we believe the obligation is in the hands of the local governments and private industry to do the right thing when it comes to sustainability.”

This marks the company’s first solar project in Ohio. IGS Solar has 107 sites in the works or already operating across the country, totaling 80 megawatts of power.